The Mouse and His Child (film)
The Mouse and His Child is a 1977 Japanese-American animated film [6] based on the 1967 novel of the same name by Russell Hoban.[7][8]
The Mouse and His Child | |
---|---|
Theatrical release poster | |
Directed by | Charles Swenson Fred Wolf [1] |
Produced by | Walt deFaria |
Written by | Russell Hoban (novel) Carol Monpere |
Starring | Peter Ustinov Cloris Leachman Sally Kellerman John Carradine Andy Devine |
Music by | Roger Kellaway |
Production company | |
Distributed by | Sanrio [2] |
Release date |
|
Running time | 83 minutes [3] |
Country | United States Japan [4] |
Language | English |
Budget | $1,600,000 [5] |
Plot
The mouse and his child are two parts of a single small wind-up toy, which must be wound by a key in the father's back. After being unpacked, they discover themselves in a toy shop where they befriend a toy elephant and toy seal. The child mouse proposes staying at the shop to form a family, which the other toys ridicule.
They accidentally fall out of a window and land in the trash. Once transported to the dump, they become enslaved by Manny the rat, who runs a casino and uses broken wind-up toys as his slave labor force. With the aid of a psychic frog, the mice escape and meet other animal characters on a quest of becoming free and independent self-winding toys.
They rediscover the elephant and seal, who are somewhat broken down. Together they manage to form a family and destroy the rat empire.[9]
Cast
Character | English | Japanese |
---|---|---|
Manny the Rat | Peter Ustinov | Ichirô Zaitsu |
The Elephant | Joan Gerber | Masumi Harukawa |
The Seal | Sally Kellerman | Shinobu Ôtake |
The Frog | Andy Devine | Kinba Sanyûtei |
The Crows | Frank Nelson Cliff Norton |
Gorō Naya |
The Clock | Regis Cordic | Unknown |
The Tramp | John Carradine | |
Euterpe | Cloris Leachman | Yukiji Asaoka |
Iggy | Neville Brand | Unknown |
Muskrat | Bob Holt | Kazuo Kumakura |
Jack in the Box | Robert Ridgely | Unknown |
Starlings | Iris Rainer Maitzi Morgan | |
Paper People | Iris Rainer Charles Woolf |
Fuyumi Shiraishi Makio Inoue |
The Mouse | Alan Barzman[10] | Hiroshi Sakamoto |
The Mouse Child | Marcy Swenson | Atsuko Sakamoto |
Ralphie | Mel Leven | Shunji Fujimura |
Teller | Maitzi Morgan | Unknown |
Serpentina | Cliff Osmond | |
Bluejay | Charles Woolf |
Critic Response
Leonard Maltin, for his movie guide, rated the movie BOMB (his lowest rating) out of four, saying "Boring animated movie. Talk, talk, talk and no action".
Home media
The film was first released on RCA/Columbia Pictures Home Video on VHS in 1985 [12] and re-released in 1991 [13] in the United States. A DVD version has yet to be released in the United States,[14] but it was released on DVD in Japan.[15]
References
- TCM.com
- Sanrio Films Studio Directory-Japanese Studio Title: Kabushikigaisha Sanrio, 株式会社サンリオ|BCDB
- Rotten Tomatoes
- MUBI
- "Russell Hoban/Forty Years: Essays on His Writings for Children", Alida Allison. "The movie of the novel had an alleged budged of $1,600,000 and was retitled The Extraordinary Adventures of the Mouse and His Child."
- The Mouse and His Child (1977) TV Spot-Night of the Trailers on YouTube
- UCLA Film & Television Archive
- The Mouse and His Child by Russell Hoban: moving metaphysics for kids|Books|The Guardian
- Internet Archive
- Alan Barzman - 3 Characters|Behind The Voice Actors
- Behind The Voice Actors
- The Mouse and his child (VHS tape, 1985)-WorldCat.org
- Amazon.com The Mouse and His Child VHS
- Top 10 movies starring toys that come alive|Den of Geek
- The Extraordinary Adventures Of The Mouse and His Child (DVD) (Japan Version)|YesAsia
External links
- The Mouse and His Child on IMDb
- The Mouse and His Child at AllMovie
- The Head of Orpheus Fan Page For Russell Hoban